Jermaine Phillips released from jail

TAMPA — A judge Monday ordered Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Jermaine Phillips released without bail, one day after he was accused of choking his wife after she questioned him about another woman.

Judge Walter Heinrich also ordered Phillips to not have any contact with his wife, Adrianne. "Stay away from her,'' Heinrich told Phillips, who wore a blue jacket over the orange jumpsuit issued to all jail inmates.

Phillips faces up to five years in prison if convicted, Heinrich said. The judge said Phillips could be released on his own recognizance because he has no previous arrests. He was released at 3:15 p.m.

Phillips' wife was not in the courtroom at the time. Phillips appeared by closed-circuit TV. No lawyer represented Phillips, so Heinrich appointed a public defender for the hearing. However, Phillips does not qualify for the public defender's services for future hearings.

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